Activist blames 'ex-gay' ministries for rapes

A homosexual activist who earlier denied the truth of an attack on members of an ex-‘gay’ ministry even though police confirmed it happened now is attributing the crime of rape to the “sickness” of the ex-“gay” movement.

Police, however, confirmed to WND that the incident did take place, and the attacker was escorted by officers off the fairgrounds.

Now Besen, citing a report from IOL, a news site in South Africa, equates the reports of the crime of “corrective rape” in which “heterosexual male pupils rape lesbian pupils, believing that this will make them heterosexual,” with the work of ministries to homosexuals who desire to leave that lifestyle.

He titled a commentary on the TWO website, “‘Corrective Rape’ of Lesbians In South African Schools Shows Sickness of ‘Ex-Gay’ Movement.”

On his website, Throckmorton explains his academic work has been published by journals of the American Psychological Association, the American Mental Health Counseling Association and the Christian Association for Psychological Studies. He’s also past president of the American Mental Health Counselors Association and is past chair of its ethics committee.

“In a confusing post, Besen first suggests via his title that the rape of lesbians in South Africa somehow demonstrates something about the ex-gay movement,” Throckmorton wrote. “Then he says, ‘these extreme cases do not represent the so-called ‘ex-gay’ movement in general.’ However, in the last sentence of the post, he hints again at a link with this: ‘It is time to end the sickening abuse in all of its injurious forms that occur in the name of ‘corrective’ or ‘ex-gay’ therapy,” Throckmorton responded.

“This is outrageous. … What is the point of that post and that headline? How does it further accurate understanding of the story he claims to be telling?” Throckmorton said.

Warren Throckmorton

Besen had continued: “The notion that GLBT people must be ‘changed’ no matter what the psychological or physical toll is in step with the West’s ‘ex-gay’ movement. The very existence of these organizations creates a sour climate where GLBT lives are demeaned and homosexual relationships are viewed as inferior.

“In such a hostile environment, some people will take desperate measures (exorcisms) or partake in dangerous experiments (shock therapy) to fix the ‘problem,'” he said.

The IOL report said a rape crisis coordinator reported school girls were disclosing their lesbianism and boys were responding with attacks because “the girl does not know anything about boys.”

On Besen’s site, Throckmorton, in a comment section, asked: “Did you mean to link rape and the ex-gay movement in your title? Does this mean that your hatred of my religion links you to persecution of Evangelicals around the world?”

Another commenter on Besen’s site, Emily K., wrote: “I agree that associating the corrective rape of South African boys to Exodus Internat’ls industry is at best, a bit of a stretch. … I fear attempting to draw this connection only makes you seem extreme in your own views.”

“Wayne, I am sad to say that you have become the … Fred Phelps of the left,” added another.

Exodus International is a ministry to those wishing to leave the homosexual lifestyle, and Fred Phelps runs a fringe Kansas organization that protests at U.S. soldiers’ funerals, blaming their deaths on the nation’s “acceptance” of homosexuality.

Responding to some of the attacks, Besen calls his position “well-reasoned.” And he accused organizations such as Exodus of empowering “bullies in public schools” and being the cause of much “pain, violence and suffering.”

“The entire so-called ex-gay industry stinks to the core and needs to be shut down. It is not a movement, but a slick marketing campaign rife with consumer fraud and it is literally killing people,” he wrote.

Then he turned his sights on Throckmorton.

“It is obvious that Throckmorton is bitter because his APA quack forum was cancelled… Until he admits that his line of work is deadly and damaging, he will continue to be dismissed as an unserious religious partisan…,” he wrote.

“If you want this fight – let’s have it,” he challenged.

Throckmorton said there is a solution.

“I call on people of good will to challenge this kind of shrill, polarizing rhetoric. I didn’t approve of [Oklahoma state lawmaker] Sally Kern calling the gay agenda worse than terrorists and I hope people will condemn this linking of sexual violence with people who refrain from homosexual behavior due to conscience of religious belief,” he wrote.

On Throckmorton’s site, there was this agreement with his perception.

“I hope the gay community as a whole sees Wayne as a very poor spokesman for their cause,” said one commenter.

As WND reported earlier, it was Besen who accused PFOX Executive Director Regina Griggs of fabricating a story about the Arlington County Fair incident.

“Regina Griggs has lost all credibility and must resign in shame for her dishonest behavior,” Besen wrote then. “What PFOX did was warped, twisted and an insult (sic) real hate crime victims.”

What PFOX had reported was that a homosexual activist had knocked over pamphlets at the PFOX booth at the fair and assaulted a man there. That’s exactly what the Arlington County police department confirmed to WND actually happened.

“Based on the description the officer was given, he located the suspect at the fair. Another officer escorted that gentleman off the fair grounds,” the police department confirmed.